Hublot King Power F1 Tourbillon Hands-On

I am not always sure what Jean-Claude Biver is thinking. The machine-gun minded Swiss CEO covers so many bases when deciding what new Hublot watches are made that it can be almost impossible to predict what will come next. However, I do know one thing: Mr. Biver is watch lover. It might sound ironic, or silly, but when a watch lover runs a watch brand, it is a good thing. And trust me, not all watch brand CEOs are watch lovers.

Mr. Biver is a major watch collector. He can't discuss it much, as he must stay partial to his own brand, but with wide (and high-end) interests his passion pushed his own brand to create some amazing things. I think this is one of the reasons he was so keen on having Hublot become a manufacturer of movements. One of the more recent high-end Hublot watches I got to play with is the King Power F1 Tourbillon. I discussed it in more detail here at Centurion. Why write about it again? For the pictures, of course - and, I suppose, to gush a bit more.

Among the things I wish I could afford, but never will, are sovereign islands, servants, and watches like this. Depending on the material (the watch comes in both zirconium and "king gold") it costs between $180,000 - $195,000. Yes, it isn't the most expensive watch I've written about, but it isn't something to wave your wallet at. Is it possible for people like me to still appreciate it? I think so because, for me, a lot of my appreciation for the watch comes from simply seeing it a few times and knowing things like this are being made. By the way, given Hublot's penchant to offer many different models (some with only minor detail changes), this watch should not be confused with a similar King Power watch released this year that has a carbon fiber bezel and also includes a minute repeater.

As a limited edition of 50 pieces, this 48mm wide watch contains a new in-house movement that is the brain-child of Mathias Buttet. Aside from the time, it contains just two complications albeit done in a very satisfying manner. I can't help but feel as though the watch is staring at me with two eyes and a funny open mouth. The dial displays a large tourbillon as well as a 30 minute chronograph. The two subdials offer both the seconds and minutes for the chronograph while the tourbillon doubles as the subsidiary seconds for the time. This is one of the first times I have seen a watch opt for a subsidiary chrono seconds hand (they are usually centrally placed). For the geeks, you'll be interested to know that the chronograph is operated by the tourbillon carriage and the deep skeletonization on the dial allows you to see this working.

What I love so much about the watch is the movement. It is a testament to modern industrial techniques as applied to the watch industry. The gear teeth are bloody tiny and the wheels are as thin as can be. There is so much cut away here and so little metal it is hard to imagine it working. This movement is more about art than it is about sport, though it is in Hublot's F1 collection. Someone at Hublot has a serious hard-on for the F1. I think Biver and Bernie are pals because some of the most interesting watches Hublot has released as of late have F1 on the dial.

There is a friggin' city of mechanical parts arranged and designed in such a way that I haven't quite seen before. I am very impressed with how well you can see them right through the dial, Hublot really has kept true to their oath of mixing tradition and futurism. The gold mixed with black and hints of red make this one damn satisfying watch to look at.

At the top of the dial, you see an exposed column-wheel for the chronograph placed as if it were the central lobe of a brain. To satisfy the racing nerds, the ceramic bezel around the dial looks like a brake disc, and so does part of the tourbillon. The movement is called the HUB7300 and has five days of power reserve. While large, the King Power case is comfy and very wearable. This is really Hublot at their finest and I don't care if you don't like that the style isn't subtle enough - it is a pretty neat timepiece.

Watch Brands

Fueled by an unshakable love for horology and a general curiosity for intricate things, Ariel Adams founded aBlogtoWatch in 2007 as a means of sharing his passion. Since then, ABTW has become the highest trafficked blog on luxury timepieces, and Ariel has become a contributor to other online publications such as Forbes, Departures and Tech Crunch, to name just a few. His conversational writing style and inclusive attitude brings a wider appreciation for watches the world over, and that's just the way he likes it.
Follow me on Google+ Ariel Adams

KING ARROGANCE. Stop pandering to the affluent, & produce more viable items @ realistic price points. Since so many are tourbillon rabid, start making new pocketwatches featuring them. Stuffing them in wristwatches simply to gouge more money is transparently greedy.

If he's a watch lover, then he loves his watches like the Joker loved beautiful women; scarring and defacing them into monstrosities. I don't know if he's just too talentless to create something of beauty like the competition so he spitefully makes something that looks like a pile of scrap while internally being very accomplished. No doubt this will soon be around the wrist of another bone-headed athlete because it cannot sell itself on looks or value. If I were after a watch with freak-factor but tolerable looks i'd go for a RM028 Diver St. Tropez.

Pretty awesome. I'm not a fan of (yellow) gold tones, but as I'll never own this (were I able to afford it, there are other Hublot's I'd be more interested in anyway), I'll look past the palette. Actually, in some of the photos, the red details in the hour markers and hands look more like orange, which I think gives the overall colour scheme an Eames-era feel, which is pretty cool - those highly detailed and raised/applied hour markers have a bit of a vintage feel to them that works well. Not that the overall impression here is anything vintage; I'll be off to see the new Transformers movie soon, and I expect to see either Starscream wearing this, or for it to be a Decepticon itself.It's hard to tell from the photos, but the 5-minute intervals look to be applied to the underside of the sapphire?Beacause I always have to find something to knock around, what's the deal with the strap holes? They look like extras someone added with a nail or something - the top layer of the strap look like it's fraying around them. Also, while I don't mind a sub-seconds for the chrono, I do miss the big seconds hand with an "H" logo'd counter balance.

I was in Montreal on business recently, the week before the Indy, and you couldn't turn around without seeing a Hublot ad: bus stops, light standard banners - the works. Kudos to them for getting themselves out there like that. Even though I prefer bigger watches, having tried on King Power models in the past, they are too big for me and I'd be more inclined toward a Big Bang of some kind, but this LE is way cool.

[…] engineered by BNB Concept several years ago. You will find modified versions of it in this Hublot piece or in this Romain Jerome Chrono Tourbillon. Those are remarkably different pieces that represent an […]